


Knight

by CiaranthePage



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-16
Updated: 2016-10-16
Packaged: 2018-08-22 16:54:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8293117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CiaranthePage/pseuds/CiaranthePage
Summary: I was Rose’s knight, now, and there was no one to stop me from being so.





	

**Author's Note:**

> as i typed this up i had flashbacks to writing this  
> it was in 2015 and i stayed up until 3 am crying to write it all

_“Pearl?”_

            I looked up, eyes still blurry from the light of my regeneration. I saw mounds of pink, a soft face, and a pair of pink lips curved ever so slightly down. “Rose,” I whispered. “You’re here.”

 

            “Of course,” she wrapped her arms around me. “I couldn’t just leave you out there alone to face possible destruction. You’re my Pearl, after all.”

 

            I let myself be snuggled closely, wrapping my own arms around her and breathing deeply. War was difficult, and this one was nowhere near over. But … I noticed something knew about it. _My Pearl_. She’d called me _her_ Pearl. No one else’s. This was …

 

            I felt something in me stop for a second. I melted into her arms as a foreign emotion overtook me (though all emotions still felt foreign to my mind). Rose swept me up carefully, though I was as long as spindly as any Pearl, she was so tall and warm that it was easy enough to pull me into her arms. While normally I would protest such handling of me – to be carried was unfit for a warrior – I couldn’t help but forgive it if it was Rose. I nearly slipped into a dormant state as she carried me. She was humming under her breath, singing a small song to me. I couldn’t make out the words, but her voice washed over me, and I felt the fatigue from battle fade. “Where are we going?” I finally asked, my voice faint.

 

            “Somewhere safe,” she promised. “I can’t lose my Pearl to battle, especially not so soon into this war.”

 

            “Mmm,” I hummed contently. “I promise you won’t lose me, Rose. I wouldn’t dream of leaving you alone in this world.”

 

            She giggled, shifting me slightly so I was sitting up straighter as if I was some sort of gemling. “I know.”

 

            I tried my best to smile at her, which earned a smile back at me. As she walked with me, though, the smile faded, which made mine fade as well. “Rose?” I asked, my voice coming back stronger. “What’s wrong?”

 

            “You’re very smart, my Pearl,” she said softly. “I know that. You could be the best strategist Homeworld has ever seen, working with me. Yet you throw caution into the wind during battle. Why?”

 

            “I,” I stopped, taking a deep breath. “I do it to protect you, Rose. I don’t know how to fight, but I don’t want to be sitting back at camp, planning how other people will protect you. _I_ want to be the one to protect you with my life.”

 

            Her smile came back, smaller and sadder this time. “Well. In that case, I have a very important job for you.”

 

            We came to a warp pad, sitting hidden in the underbrush that littered the land, mostly covered with plants and overgrown vines. “I thought you might say something like that, so I’ve brought you here to show you something.” She set me down on the warp pad, stepping onto it. I had no idea where we were going, and honestly I was a bit concerned.

 

            The warp pad set us down beside a giant staircase, with the Diamond Emblem carved into the nearby wall. “This is an arena,” she explained. “I’m going to teach you to fight, my Pearl.”

 

            “R-really?” I asked. “W-with my weapon or something else, because I. I c-c-c—“ my mouth seemed to short circuit as I tried to explain that I couldn’t summon a weapon like the other gems I’d been meeting.

 

            “With a sword,” Rose said, giving me a little pat. “We’ll get to summoning your weapon another time. But that takes a lot more focus – even if this training will take basically all of it for now.”

 

            I nodded, following Rose as she walked up the staircase. “There’s only one condition, my Pearl,” she warned, as we walked. “You are not to be on the field of battle while in training. Once I decide you’re as trained as you can be, you will gain a spot right next to me. Is that alright?”

 

            I opened my mouth to reply, and then closed it. I thought over the offer – I wanted to fight properly, of course; there’s only so much one can learn from observation alone. But the thought of being away from battle, away from _Rose_ for so long … well it was a little saddening. “Can I still see you?” I asked. “Not during training, I mean.”

 

            “Of course!” Rose nodded.

 

            “… alright,” I said, as we reached the top.

 

            Rose pulled out her own sword, along with a rapier – a beautifully crafted thing, almost as magnificent as the gem on my forehead. She handed it to me, and like that, the training had begun.

 

            I trained for years. I spent quite some time away from battle; I heard and missed it, and checked Rose over for wounds or troubles every time I had the opportunity. She continued to train me, and even allowed me to teach other gems skills I had already picked up. I learned to love the idea of teaching and learning alike, as I had most things Rose introduced.

 

            I was allowed back into battle after years of training, and as promised, I had a place at Rose’s side. I went everywhere with her, trailing a few steps behind. I threw myself into harm’s way to protect her – I was even cracked, once or twice, only to be brought back (and scolded for being so careless). War was thrilling, though it took its toll on my mind and body. Regeneration was a struggle for me, and took time. Recovery afterwards wasn’t as easy. But I pushed through.

 

            I had to. I was Rose’s knight, now, and there was no one to stop me from being so.


End file.
